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From  a  photograph  by  Eduard  Steichen 
(Collection  of  Dr.  Christian  Brinton) 


ALFONS-MAR1E  MUCHA 


iTrrOR1CAL-?A1NT« 

•me  WIG  NATIONS 

•YAUWMUCHA 

BIOGRATfitCALI  RTCODUCTO 

SRITiTOTi 


SYPROF.tARKA 


FT1HE  historical  paintings  of  the  Slavic 
•**  Nations  by  Aljons  Mucha,  exhibited  at 
The  Brooklyn  Museum ,  and  The  Art  Institute 
of  Chicago,  under  the  auspices  of  Director 
William  Henry  Foxy  are  part  of  the  series  of 
twenty  subjects  presented  to  the  city  of  Prague 
by  Mr.  Charles  R.  Crane,  Minister  to  China. 


Copyright,  1921, 
By  Christian  Brinton 

First  Impression 
Five  Thousand  Copies 

Printed  by 

Redfield-Kendrick-Odell  Co.  Inc. 
New  York 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INTRODUCTION 


BY  DR.  CHRISTIAN  BRINTON 

HE  gifted  and  versatile  painter  of  the  pictorial  epic  of 
the  Slavic  nations  here  exhibited,  is  a  typical  Czech 
in  his  traditions,  his  aspirations,  and  his  artistic 
achievement.  Alfons-Marie  Mucha,  to  give  him  his  full 
name,  was  born  July  24,  1860,  at  Ivancicie,  in  Mor- 
avia. Some  beneficent  Vila  must  have  blessed  him 
at  birth  with  the  flame  of  art,  for  his  earliest  impres- 
sions were  of  form  and  colour.  Before  he  could  speak  or  walk,  he 
remembers  lying  in  his  capacious  wooden  cradle  and  gazing  raptur- 
ously at  the  shimmering  lights  of  the  family  Christmas  tree.  He  grew 
up  a  bright  eyed,  curly  haired  youngster,  possessed  of  irrepressible 
vivacity  and  a  pronounced  taste  for  drawing.  As  a  child  he  was 
frequently  left  in  charge  of  his  grandmother  Maly,  who  delighted 
in  his  talent  and  often  rewarded  his  juvenile  efforts  with  judicious 
gifts  of  sweetmeats.  His  mother,  however,  wished  him  to  become  a 
priest,  so  he  was  sent  at  the  age  often  to  Brno,  the  capital,  where  he 
was  for  a  time  a  choir  boy  in  the  Metropolitan  Cathedral. 

Yet  the  aspiring  Alfons  clung  tenaciously  to  the  idea  of  becoming 
an  artist,  and  at  sixteen  we  find  him  attending  the  College  of  Brno, 
and  caring  more  for  his  drawing  lessons  than  for  all  the  other  courses 
combined.  Possessing  but  modest  means,  he  was  obliged  to  share  his 
room  with  a  student,  poorer  even  than  himself,  and  from  about  the 
middle  of  each  month,  when  their  united  resources  were  exhausted, 


Copyright,  1920,  by  Alfons  Mucha 

i.  SVANTOVI'T  CELEBRATION 


they  were  usually  in  sorry  straits  for  food.  Virtually  all  they  had  to 
subsist  upon  was  a  huge  round  loaf  of  black  bread  and  a  can  of  pork 
grease  which  the  room-mate's  peasant  family  was  in  the  habit  of 
supplying  at  stated  intervals.  And  Mucha,  being  the  more  accom- 
plished draughtsman  of  the  two,  would  scientifically  mark  off  with 
chalk  the  exact  amount  of  bread  to  be  consumed  each  day,  the  pork 
grease  serving  as  butter. 

The  lad's  love  of  art  was  so  persistent,  and  his  ability  so  excep- 
tional, that  his  master,  Zeleny,  a  benign,  bearded  old  man  who 
habitually  arrayed  himself  in  a  long  black  cloak  and  high  boots, 
persuaded  him  to  seek  admission  to  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  at 
Prague.  Lhota,  the  director  of  the  academy  proved,  however, 
distinctly  pessimistic  regarding  the  young  man's  capacity  for  artistic 
expression,  and  summarily  admonished  him  to  renounce  his  am- 
bitions and  become  a  government  clerk.  Discouraged  but  not  dis- 


Copyright,  1920,  by  Alfons  Mucha 


II.    THE  ABOLITION  OF  SERFDOM 


heartened,  he  next  set  out  for  Vienna,  where  he  worked  for  some 
months  on  the  decorations  for  the  new  Ring  Theatre,  and  finally 
drifted,  penniless,  to  Mikulov.  Here  he  remained  a  year  or  more, 
executing  portrait  sketches  of  the  townsfolk  at  five  florins  each; 
and  here  also  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
Count  Khuen  Belasy,  of  Grusbach,  who  became  his  patron  and 
after  a  year's  sojourn  at  his  castle  of  Gandegg,  enabled  the  artist  to 
pursue  his  studies  in  Munich  and  Paris. 

In  order  to  maintain  the  requisite  social  prestige,  the  young  painter 
felt  constrained  to  stop  at  The  Lion,  Mikulov's  leading  hostelry. 
Being  both  witty  and  musical,  he  was  invited  about  considerably, 
despite  the  fact  that  his  wardrobe  was  perilously  shabby.  At  one 
period  his  single  pair  of  trousers  was  in  such  precarious  condition 
that  his  only  expedient  was  to  wear  his  topcoat  throughout  the 
evening,  on  the  plea  of  suffering  from  chronic  chills.  After  a  certain 
number  of  appearances  under  these  conditions,  he  was  surprised  one 


morning  to  receive  a  ceremonious  visit 
from  the  leading  tailor  of  the  town,  who  took  his  measure 
for  a  pair  of  trousers  and  politely  but  firmly  declined  all  suggestion 
of  payment.  Although  not  a  little  puzzled,  Mucha  subsequently 
appeared  in  the  trousers,  and  was  enthusiastically  complimented 
upon  their  cut,  colour,  etc.  It  was  not  until  some  twenty  years  later, 
when  he  had  become  a  famous  artist,  that  the  sequel  came  in  the 
form  of  a  letter  from  Berger,  a  prominent  townsman,  asking  whether 
Mucha  recalled  the  incident,  and  adding  that  the  trousers  in  question 
had  been  a  spontaneous  gift  from  the  young  ladies  of  Mikulov. 

During  Mucha's  sojourn  in  Munich,  which  lasted  some  two  years, 
he  was  a  joyous,  picturesque  member  of  the  Czech  colony  of  the  day 
which  included  such  well-known  figures  as  Vacha,  Brozik,  and 
Marolda.  This  auspicious  interlude  was,  however,  followed  by  a 
sharper  contact  with  reality  and  the  bitter  sting  of  poverty,  for 
shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Paris  in  1887,  Count  Khuen  ceased  his 
patronage,  and  the  young  man  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources, 
with  the  added  handicap  of  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  French 
language.  He  lived  for  a  time  in  the  impasse  du  Maine,  and  later  in 
the  rue  de  la  Grande  Chaumiere,  dreaming  resplendent  dreams  of 
success  and  renown,  and  meantime  supporting  himself  upon  the 
meagre  income  he  derived  from  book  and  magazine  illustration. 
Though  working  for  La  Vie  Populaire  and  kindred  publications 
sometimes  as  much  as  sixteen  hours  a  day,  he  nevertheless  managed 
to  pursue  his  professional  training,  and  at  different  intervals  studied 
at  the  Academic  Julien,  with  Boulanger  and  Lefebvre,  at  the 
Academic  Colarossi,  and  lastly  under  Jean-Paul  Laurens.  Vacha  was 


his  companion  during  these  years  of 
struggle  and  obscurity,  when,  despite  their  best  efforts, 
not  the  least  of  their  problems  was  how  to  placate  pere  Michaud,  the 
restaurateur  at  the  corner,  and  yet  continue  their  system  of  living 
upon  credit.  The  young  man's  position  in  the  world  of  art  and  finance 
was  not  indeed  perceptibly  alleviated  until  Colin  commissioned  him 
to  illustrate  Charles  Seignobos's  Histoire  d'Allemagne,  in  col- 
laboration with  Rochegrosse,  the  success  of  which  placed  him  in  the 
front  rank  of  contemporary  pictorial  draughtsmen. 

Mucha's  Paris  apprenticeship  was  not  without  its  picturesque 
features.  His  modest  quarters  at  number  13,  rue  de  la  Grande  Chau- 
miere  were  located  above  the  cremerie  kept  by  Madame  Charlotte, 
a  true  patron  of  art  and  artists.  Here  used  to  foregather  Strindberg, 
Gauguin,  Vispenskj,  the  Pole,  and  the  faithful  Vacha  before  his 
departure  for  Switzerland.  They  formed  a  close  and  congenial  circle, 
and  were  in  the  habit  of  dining  together  almost  every  evening  chez 
Madame  Charlotte.  Strindberg,  always  a  trifle  austere,  was  at  that 
particular  period  deeply  absorbed  in  photographic  and  chemical  re- 
searches, though  often  he  would  mount  the  rickety  stairs  and  silently 
survey  the  pulsing  panorama  of  Paris  from  the  roof-top,  or  stroll 
abstractedly  in  the  Cimetiere  du  Montparnasse,  meditating  upon 
some  novel  or  play.  Gauguin  was  restless,  talkative,  and  not  over- 
industrious  until  he  returned  from  his  first  island  sojourn  burning 
with  enthusiasm  for  the  primitive  solitude  and  the  wondrous 
Venus  noires  he  had  left  behind.  And  it  is  interesting  in  this  con- 
nexion to  recall  that  it  was  in  Mucha's  humble  studio  just  across 
the  way,  at  number  10,  rue  de  la  Grande  Chaumiere,  that  Gauguin 


added  the  final  touches  to  his  earliest  series  of 
Tahitian  paintings  before  they  were  placed  on  tentative  exhibition. 

Successful  as  were  his  illustrations,  Alfons  Mucha's  position  in 
art  was  not,  however,  definitely  established  in  the  popular  mind 
until  the  appearance  upon  the  walls  of  Paris  of  his  remarkable  series 
of  posters  for  Madame  Sarah  Bernhardt's  dramatic  productions  at 
the  Theatre  de  la  Renaissance.  Beginning  with  Gismonda  in  1894, 
and  continuing  for  some  half  dozen  years  with  Camille,  La  Samari- 
taine,  Izeyl,  Lorenzaccio,  and  the  more  forceful  and  effective  Medee, 
these  posters,  as  well  as  the  costumes  and  scenery  for  the  plays, 
which  were  likewise  designed  by  Mucha,  marked  an  epoch  in  the  his- 
tory of  contemporary  decorative  art. 

The  vogue  01  Alfons  Mucha's  work  in  fact  coincided  with,  and  con- 
tributed its  exotic  charm  to  a  general  rebirth  of  the  decorative  and 
the  stylistic  as  opposed  to  the  realistic  tendencies  of  aesthetic  ex- 
pression. The  veritable  initiator  of  the  movement  was  Galland,  now 
a  comparatively  forgotten  man,  who  may  be  called  the  last  of 
the  classicists  and  the  first  of  the  moderns.  And  after  Galland  came 
Cheret,  the  Watteau  of  the  poster,  ever  delicate,  spirited,  and  typi- 
cally Parisian;  Grasset,  who  successfully  assimilated  influences  Jap- 
anese and  Teutonic,  Carlos  Schwabe,  the  Swiss  mystic,  and  Mucha, 
Ruty,  and  others  whose  work  was  different,  yet  whose  aims  were  es- 
sentially similar.  It  is  these  men  who  to-day  must  be  considered  the 
founders  of  what  is  popularly  known  as  1'Art  nouveau.  It  was  their  gift 
of  style,  their  mastery  of  purely  decorative  motifs,  that  in  due  course 
led  to  the  formation  of  such  organizations  as  the  Munich  and  Vienna 
Secessions,  and  to  the  creation  of  those  innumerable  arts  and  crafts 
centres  at  the  head  of  which  rightfully  stands  the  Wiener  Werk- 


statte.  Without  realizing  their  power  or  the 
extent  of  their  influence,  this  group  added  a  new  note  to  contempo- 
rary artistic  endeavour.  They  made  art  an  affair  of  the  theatre,  the 
home,  and  the  shop,  rather  than  the  exclusive  possession  of  palace 
and  museum.  In  a  sense  they  were  our  first  really  creative  modernists. 

The  aesthetic  aspect  of  the  movement,  which  was  above  all  char- 
acterized by  a  rhythmic,  inventive  sense  of  stylization,  and  a  singular 
freedom  and  suavity  of  vision,  seemed  best  exemplified  in  the  person- 
ality and  production  of  Alfons  Mucha.  First  through  his  posters, 
and  later  through  his  religious  and  historical  compositions,  he  became 
an  exponent  of  that  new  decorative  idealism  which  at  this  period  was 
so  prominent  alike  in  art  and  in  letters.  The  supple  flow  of  his  line, 
his  profuse  use  of  ornament,  and  his  passionate  lyric  aspiration 
all  reflected  the  current  taste  of  the  day.  A  typical  oriental  Slav, 
Mucha's  rightful  province  was  not  Paris,  nor  even  Prague,  but 
the  gardens  of  Semiramis  and  the  palace  of  Scheherezade.  Like  Ros- 
tand, Pierre  Louys,  Robert  de  Flers,  and  the  popular  poets  and  play- 
wrights of  the  early  and  middle  nineties,  he  also  harked  back  to  Italy, 
to  Greece,  and  to  Byzantium  in  quest  of  themes  heroic  or  amourous. 
For  he,  too,  was  a  lover  of  Princesses  lointaines. 

And  yet  this  art  at  once  floral,  astral,  and  feminine,  which  revealed 
with  tender  nonchalance  the  supple  beauty  of  the  body,  and  the  deli- 
cately veiled  secrets  of  the  soul,  was  not  destined  to  be  Alfons 
Mucha's  final  expression.  These  sumptuous,  hieratic  creatures, 
crowned  with  the  jewels  of  Theodora,  and  exhaling  the  passionate 
perfume  of  Ilsee,  Princesse  of  Tripoli,  were  succeeded  by  work  of  a 
more  serious  and  substantial  character.  If  anything  further  were 
necessary  to  confirm  the  success  of  the  young  Czech  with  the  public 


IV.    JAN  HUS  PREACHING  IN 


Copyright,  1920,  by  Alfons  Mucha 


of  Paris  it  was  his  mural  decorations  for  the 
pavilion  of  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  at  the 
Exposition Universelle,  1900.  Here  at  last  was  a  congenial  commission. 
A  profound  student  of  the  history  of  his  race,  and  familiar  from  child- 
hood with  the  myths  and  legends  of  the  Slavs  of  southeastern  Europe, 
it  is  natural  that  these  panels  should  have  been  executed  more  as  a 
labour  of  love  than  in  an  official  or  perfunctory  spirit.  In  order  to 
refresh  his  memory  of  native  costume,  and  of  forms  floral  and  archi- 
tectural, the  artist  made  an  extended  tour  of  the  country.  And  yet 
the  charm  of  the  completed  compositions  lay  not  in  their  fidelity  to 
the  actual,  but  in  their  flowing  rhythmic  grace,  and  their  felicitous 
coloration,  grouping,  and  arrangement.  They  were  in  fact  the  feature 
of  that  fantastic,  red-roofed,  blue-walled  pavilion  which  stood  in  the 
rue  des  Nations  between  the  more  pretentious  Austrian  and  Hun- 
garian palaces. 

Appropriately  installed  in  commodious  quarters  at  number  6, 
rue  Val-de-Grace,  Mucha  next  began  working  upon  a  series  of  deco- 
rations for  the  Assumptionist  Church  of  the  Virgin  in  Jerusalem, 
and  also  on  a  cycle  of  graphic  compositions  depicting  symbolically 
the  Seven  Deadly  Sins.  Successful  exhibitions  of  his  work  at  La 
Bodiniere  and  the  Salon  des  Cent  had  meanwhile  attracted  to  him 
numerous  pupils,  and  about  this  period  he  opened  an  atelier  in  the 
passage  Stanislas,  whither  flocked  students  from  nearly  every 
country  in  Europe,  not  to  mention  numerous  admiring  Americans 
of  both  sexes. 

The  Val-de-Grace  studio,  which  one  instinctively  recalls  in  review- 
ing Mucha's  Paris  days,  was  typical  of  the  man  and  his  art.  The  roses 
and  clematis  that  during  spring  and  summer  beckoned  to  the  door, 


and  the  blossoms  clustering  about  the  room 
showed  his  abiding  love  for  flowers.  The 
rich-toned  tapestries  and  the  massive  silver  censer  suspended  from 
the  ceiling  gave  the  place  the  air  of  a  secular  sanctuary.  The  sur- 
roundings were  characteristic,  for  this  work  in  its  more  congenial 
phases  is  sumptuous,  colourful,  and  essentially  Slavonic.  The  youth- 
ful acolyte  in  the  Cathedral  of  Brno  has  remained  all  his  life  a  fervent 
churchman,  and  his  compositions,  whether  realistic,  decorative,  or 
imaginative,  reflect  a  certain  sacerdotal  spirit.  Solemn  as  a  Slavic 
ritual,  and  suave  as  the  smile  upon  the  lips  of  some  languorous  ori- 
ental enchantress,  the  art  of  Alfons  Mucha  reveals  a  subtle  fusion  of 
piety  and  passion.  It  seems  to  have  flashed  out  of  a  mystic,  sensuous 
past,  and  to  point  toward  an  enigmatic  future. 


The  adequate  pictorial  presentation  of  the  rise  and  development 
of  the  Czech  nation,  as  well  as  kindred  branches  of  the  Slavic  race, 
is  the  task  to  which  Alfons  Mucha  has  devoted  the  past  decade  of  his 
artistic  activity.  Many  years  ago  when  he  was  living  in  Paris,  the 
painter  conceived  the  idea  of  a  great  cycle  of  mural  decorations 
which,  through  the  portrayal  of  actual  historical  episodes,  should 
symbolize  the  character  and  aspirations  of  the  Slavic  peoples,  and 
the  current  exhibition  forms  part  of  this  uncompleted  series,  the 
most  important  and  ambitious  work  yet  undertaken  by  the  artist. 
Mucha  felt  that  if  he  could  successfully  depict  the  progressive 
evolution  of  the  Slavs  from  the  most  ancient  to  the  present  times,  he 
would  be  accomplishing  something  of  lasting  value;  a  plan  he  has 


been  enabled  to  complete  through  the  gen- 
erous patronage  of  Mr.  Charles  R.  Crane, 
our  present  minister  to  China.  Possessing  a  remarkable  insight  into 
the  ethnic  characteristics  of  the  Slavic  races,  and  deeply  interested 
in  their  history  and  ultimate  political  destiny,  Mr.  Crane  has  sup- 
ported the  plan  from  its  inception,  feeling  sure  that  this  pictorial  epic 
of  the  Slavs  would  find  place  in  one  of  the  great  Slavic  capitals. 

Of  the  projected  series  of  twenty  subjects  eleven  have  thus  far 
been  completed,  and  recently  Mr.  Crane  and  the  artist  decided 
to  offer  the  paintings  to  the  Czecho-Slovak  people  if  they  would 
guarantee  to  install  them  under  conditions  befitting  their  merit  and 
importance.  The  suggestion  was  received  with  enthusiasm,  the  out- 
come being  a  pledge  from  the  Czech  government  to  erect  a  public 
building  in  Prague,  the  walls  of  which  will  eventually  be  decorated 
with  Mucha's  Epic  of  Slavia. 

The  presence  in  our  midst  of  the  artist,  who  is  well  known  in 
America,  adds  particular  interest  to  the  current  exhibition  of  five  of 
these  imposing  mural  compositions,  which  so  graphically  depict  the 
determination  of  the  Slavic  peoples  to  cast  off  the  yoke  of  the 
oppressor,  whether  temporal  or  spiritual,  and  achieve  a  more  definite 
measure  of  race  consciousness.  Alfons  Mucha  is  an  ardent  apostle  of 
nationalism  in  art,  and  later  on  he  intends  to  devote  his  energies  to 
the  organization  of  a  comprehensive  exposition  of  the  arts  and  crafts 
of  his  native  land,  a  land  that  has  always  been  noted  for  the  aesthetic 
and  musical  genius  of  its  people — the  new  and  aspiring  Republic 
of  Czecho-Slovakia. 


NOTES  ON  THE  PAINTINGS 

BY  PROF.  SARKA  HRBKOVA 
I.     SVANTOVIT  CELEBRATION  ON  THE  RUJANA 

FROM  ancient  times  the  Eastern  Germany  of  to-day,  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  Baltic  sea  and  even  to  its  islands,  was  populated  by 
Slavs,  and  their  advanced  culture  was  justly  recognized  by  the  rest 
of  Europe.  The  branch  which  had  the  greatest  fame  was  the  branch 
of  the  Rans  who  dwelt  in  the  Island  of  Rujana,  whose  capital  was 
the  rich  city  of  Arkuna.  In  this  city  was  the  famous  Cathedral  of 
Svantovit,  whose  artistic  beauty  aroused  the  admiration  of  foreigners 
visiting  there  from  the  land  of  the  Franks,  Spain,  and  even  from 
Byzantium.  Visitors  from  the  entire  world  of  that  day  came  to 
Arkuna,  not  only  to  transact  business,  but  also,  as  with  the  Greek 
Delphians,  in  order  to  ask  of  the  world-famous  priests  of  Svantovit 
advice  and  revelations  concerning  the  things  of  the  future.  Once  a 
year,  after  the  harvests,  Arkuna  was  filled  with  song,  and  the  shore- 
land  along  the  chalk  cliffs  resounded  with  joyful  celebrations  in 
honour  of  the  god  Svantovit.  This  celebration  had  taken  place 
annually  from  time  out  of  mind  until  the  end  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  when  the  Germanic  Danes  sailed  hither,  conquered  Arkuna, 
and  destroyed  the  chapel  of  Svantovit. 

In  the  picture  we  see  how  the  Teutonic  Thor  with  his  wolves  has 
overwhelmed  the  cortege  of  Svantovit.  His  last  warrior  is  dying  on 
the  sacred  white  steed.  Svantovit  is  at  his  side  and  takes  from  his 
failing  right  hand  the  holy  sword,  and  from  that  time  on  he  gives 


Copyright,  IQZO,  by  Alfans  Mucha 


III.     MILIC  OF  KROMERIZ 


Copyright,  IQ20,  by  Alfons  Mucha 


V.    THE  MEETING  OF  KRIZKY 


Copyright,  1020,  by  Alfons  Mucha 

I.    SVANTOVIT  CELEBRATION  (DETAIL 

battle  to  Thor.  Then  the  German  yoke  falls  on  the  Slavs,  and  with  it 
subjugation,  misery,  and  ruin.  Art  is  forced  to  flee.  Below  the  artist- 
engraver  seeks  to  find  inspiration  in  himself  and  to  resurrect  the  old 
Slav  aspiration  and  feeling. 

II.    THE  ABOLITION  OF  SERFDOM  IN  RUSSIA 

IN  FEBRUARY,  1861,  personal  liberty  became  the  possession  of 
the  Russian  people.  By  a  manifesto  of  the  Tzar,  serfdom  was 
abolished  throughout  the  Russian  realm.  The  muzik  as  peasant  had 
previously  been  a  subject  of  his  noble  proprietor,  who  had  every  right 
to  his  time,  labour,  and  person.  In  return  for  all  of  this,  the  poor 
muzik  received  scarcely  enough  to  subsist  upon. 

The  ukase  decreeing  liberty,  made  of  the  slave  a  free  citizen.  The 
picture  represents  the  square  before  the  Kremlin  of  Moscow  in  the 
shadow  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Vasilij.  Here  are  gathered  people  from 
the  town  and  from  the  country — those  who  were  serfs  up  to  that  day. 


Copyright,  1920,  by  Alfons  Mucha 
IV.     HUS  PREACHING  IN  THE  CHAPEL  (DETAIL) 

From  the  red  platform,  a  raised  circular  place  from  which  important 
events  were  announced  to  the  people  and  also  where  persons  of  note 
had  been  executed,  one  beholds  the  departure,  in  long  processions,  of 
the  officials  and  the  priests  with  their  ikons.  The  common  people 
remain — they  debate — deliberate — thank  God — give  praise,  but  do 
not  yet  quite  comprehend  the  meaning  of  their  new  liberty. 

III.    MILIC  OF  KROMERIZ 
THE  HUSSITE  RELIGIOUS  PERIOD 

MILIC  OF  KROMERIZ  was  the  predecessor  of  Jan  Hus. 
He  was  a  man  inspired  by  religious  fervour  and  was  the  first 
who  by  spoken  word  dared  to  oppose  the  vices  of  his  time  in  the 
voluptuous  middle  ages.  By  his  flaming  eloquence,  he  held  the  people 
of  all  strata  of  society,  and  aroused  a  current  of  religious  enthusiasm 
which  grew  and  developed  after  fifty  years  into  the  powerful  Hussite 
movement. 


In  the  picture  Milic  stands  on  the  ruins  of  the  lair  of 
vice,  the  present  Bartolomejska  Ulice  in  Prague.  Over  three 
hundred  women  of  ill  fame,  through  his  powerful  plea,  have 
turned  from  their  evil  lives.  They  come  to  him — renouncing  their 
ornaments  and  jewels  and  beg  for  absolution. 

King  Charles  the  Fourth  made  a  gift  to  Milic  of  this  land  in  order 
that  he  might  erect  upon  it  a  New  Jerusalem  for  penitent  women. 

IV.    HUS  PREACHING  IN  THE  CHAPEL  OF  BETHLEHEM 
THE  HUSSITE  RELIGIOUS  PERIOD 

IN  THE  year  1412  when  three  young  men  belonging  to  the  congre- 
gation of  Jan  Hus  were  murdered  for  investigating  the  so-called 
miracle  performed  in  the  church  of  Prague,  the  adherents  of  the 
parish  lived  in  constant  excitement.  The  people  of  all  elements  of 
society  attended  the  preaching  of  Jan  Hus,  paying  the  most  careful 
attention  to  his  words,  for  he  it  was  who  unveiled  the  vicious  doings 
of  those  who  claimed  to  be  servants  of  God,  but  lived  unrighteous 
lives  and  countenanced  wicked  practices.  Even  Jan  Zizka,  who 
later  became  the  leader  of  the  Hussite  army,  was  frequently  present 
at  the  preaching  of  Jan  Hus.  On  the  seat,  at  the  right  hand  side  of 
the  picture,  may  be  seen  Queen  Sophia,  wife  of  Vaclav  the  Fourth, 
and  beside  her  are  the  court  ladies. 


V.    THE  MEETING  OF  KRIZKY 

THE  HUSSITE  LEADERS  PERIOD 
(Transition  from  the  Religious  period  to  the  War  period.) 

A  FTER  the  death  of  Hus,  it  became  more  and  more  dangerous  to 
J[  V.  hold  the  meetings  of  the  brethren  who  believed  in  communion 
of  "both  kinds,"  i.e.  both  body  and  blood  of  Christ— the  bread  and 
the  wine,  to  be  participated  in  by  all  of  the  people  as  well  as  by  the 
priests.  When  in  1419  they  decided  to  aid  Prague  against  the  King's 
forces,  they  were  compelled  to  arm  themselves.  Thus,  for  the  first 
time  in  their  history,  they  were  called  together  in  military  groups  by 
the  Plzen  preacher,  Koranda.  They  gathered  from  all  quarters  and 
directions  on  St.  Michael's  Day  in  the  broad  valley  of  Knzky  near 
Benesov,  from  which  place  they  advanced  in  a  mass  towards  Prague. 

In  the  picture,  Koranda  stands  on  the  roof  of  a  hut,  and  with 
several  chiefs  he  gazes  into  the  distance.  From  every  side  the  faithful 
are  gathering.  Some  come  on  foot,  others  on  horseback,  or  in  carriages 
to  the  meeting  place  which  is  designated  by  flags.  The  new  arrivals 
are  occupied  variously.  Some  are  preparing  for  the  night's  rest, 
others  are  kneeling  around  the  priests  and  are  accepting  communion. 


ALFONS-MARIE  MUCHA 

PORTRAIT  BUST  BY 
EUGENIE  F.  SHONNARD 


University 

Souther 

Librar 


